Rockler 3/8'' Dowel Drilling Jig Kit

Overview

This is an incredibly affordable doweling jig for woodworkers who want a quick joint without a lot of fussy layout. Many doweling jigs require that you make a mark on the inside edge of the joint, meaning you either have to transfer marks from the face to the edge, or measure and mark with a tape measure. Since this jig is transparent, layout is much simpler. Just set the two parts together and strike a line across the center of the joint. The see-through reference lines allows you to line up the jig perfectly. Clamp it in place, drill and you're done!

Reviews

This is the easiest and quickest little jig I've used. It is very easy to use and takes a lot of the thinking out of my builds. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and cost effective way into the world of doweling jigs.

In my 68 plus years of expierence, I have learned that if something can happen, it will. I try to use all the tools that I have at my disposal to insure things do not just happen. A little extra time will help achieve a more pleasant outcome. Not being able to afford a high dollar line boring machine, this jig is an excellent choice. I do not know what it would do with only one clamp and I do not intend to find out. I do know that with the method I used, I recieved excellent results. A very well made jig appears to be made for years of use.

Nice little jig that is very well made. I bought it because I needed a dowel jig for one project I am making. I use a quick clamp to attach to the boards and drill the holes. Very fast! If you drill alot of holes the black metal gets warm. One negative-you can not drill to the center of a board.

Quick and easy tool. I bought it for face frames and it's going to be used by much more in the future. Very nice. A nice quick no-brainer. After some simple and miner adjustment perfect every time. Nice weight and feel in the hand also.

The lines on mine don't match up with the holes, so every assembled joint is off by nearly an eighth inch. I loosened the screws and tried to shift the plastic but there wasn't enough tolerance in the screw holes to get it aligned. I widened the screw holes and was able to get one line centered above a bored hole, but the line over the bored hole doesn't match up. It seems the lines are not matched to the holes in the steel block.Editor's note: Our customer service team at 800-376-7856 will be able to assist with replacement of defective jig.

Good value for the occasional user. I bought one just to have it around. It worked good, except the clear acrylic slipped around a lot no matter how hard I clamped it. I dabbed some clear shellac Zinsser Seal Coat on the back when it dried,that cured the slipping issue without changing the centering or blocking out the reference lines.

For what this is, and what it does, I can't imagine a better execution. Simple, accurate, and easy to use.I just got this last week and promptly made 112 holes for a project I'm working on. This is an extraordinary value and works very well. I recommend using a sharp bradpoint bit - i bought two new ones for just this little project. with a single clamping point, you don't want to fight a dull bit - there's enough leverage you could move off your line if you aren't careful.As long as you are organized and manage your process, there's no reason you can't have perfect or near perfect results with this jig.I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Only made this one project with it but had to make 80 holes for it. After the first few holes I found out that using a 6" F-Style clamp is the only was to go to hold the jig in place. I read a few people say that the jig would move when they would start drilling. Once I started using a f-style clamp I maybe had 2 or 3 holes move on me but not enough to throw the joints off. Along with a f-style clamp you need a brad point bit and your good to go. This jig works great and is just what I needed for this project and I will be using it for alot more and for the price i will buy another one just for a back up.

Really a great and inexpensive product. A real plus for this particular jig would be to have inserts for 5/16" and 1/4" dowels. Also would be nice to have jig for making a "T" joint. Enjoy the simplicity and low cost of the jigs, keep them coming.

This is a remarkable little jig for the money and minimal effort required. I used this jig for the first time to build a farmhouse coffee table with 5/4 Pine Stock. I improvised a bit when having to drill into turned table legs. So, I simply traced the board onto the leg, removed the plexiglass guide and clamped the jig with 6" clamps. I recommend using drill stops to insure precise drill depths. The holes are clean, true and surprisingly precise. They accepted fluted dowel pins, which after gluing and clamping, looked like the joints were mortised! Rockler has done it again!

I had to do a kitchen cabinet remodel and did not have the room for pocket holes or biscuits. The pieces were different thicknesses and this jig was a life saver. Works great! Makes it hard to not get perfect alignment!

It works and guides the drill as the design intent, great quality, in materials, surface finish and machining the components, for the price... the money spend paid for itself from 1st use. Love it. If I just new how satisfied I would of felt; would have ordered the complete kit, but the 1/2" had a discount... it's in in transit. the 1/4" is next... Thanks for this great jig.

Agree with Jim, it can have a tendency slip slightly, if not properly secured. I had to use a couple of clamps to keep it steady. But once the first hole is drilled, lightly tap your dowel into that hole and the jig won't budge for the second. Use this method to create additional holes if you need them. You can't beat it for 10 bucks. I used it to attach the outer top frame and front frame components of an 8-foot long high-Victorian radiator cover.

Very simple and easy to use, of course, there are better jigs in the market, but way down expensive, this one requires that you know at least the basics of making dowels, but for the price, it makes your work fast and easy.

When I saw the ad for this jig I thought it was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't realize that the clamp was not part of the product. Perhaps a little warning like "clamp not included" would have been helpful. I fixed the problem by affixing a clamp to it. It is a good product and much faster then other doweling jigs that I use. I would recommend it as long as you know what you are getting ahead of time.

I had trouble initially with the waste from the drilling finding its way between the jig and the stock and moving it a bit. That was easily fixed with a C-clamp and life goes on. Other than that it worked good and I was pleased to find that it was heavier and sturdier than I had anticipated. I am, however, giving thought to mounting it into a larger fixture with hold downs to make setup even easier.

I second Robert Bowman's comments and add these: I used the jig to face frame an entertainment center case. I had to use two clamps to secure it for steadiness to the ends of rails, but it worked fine. Only one clamp worked when drilling into the sides of the rails and I had to adjust the clamp for the second hole. I thought if the black guide base were in the form of a "T" it would be possible to clamp it to rail stock with two clamps. Of course, that would require cutting the rail to length after drilling the holes, but the little bit of waste would be worth the accuracy this would ensure.All in all, this is a good tool well worth the money. I'll use it a lot.

This jig is very easy to use and inexpensive. Aligning the holes is trivial. Just mark across the two boards, line up the jig's layout line with the point of yours and drill. The only problems that I had were that it vibrated out of place a bit, and the sawdust from the hole got between the end of the board and the jig, pushing it out a bit.

Bought this as an alternative to biscuits for a bookcase face frame. Rails were too narrow for #0 biscuit. Worked quite well for the money. A little bit of tuning up after assembly. Also worked great for attaching the face frame to the carcass. Pay attention to your clamps and lock the jig with a dowel before drilling the second hole.

This tool saved the day, maybe two. I was restoring an ice box and discovered the tenons were rotted away on the rails. Since the stiles had grooves their full length, biscuits were out to the question. Then I found this jig. A little time aligning the styles and rails, a quick alignment mark across the joint and in a matter of minutes, I was gluing up. The only issues I have was the bushing felt slightly worn after about 25 holes and the jig could benefit from some type antislip method incorporated into it. I, too, found that inserting a dowel into the first hole secured and aligned the second hole precisely. All in all, a great product. I suspect I'll use it till it wears out and then I'll get another one.

Overall, I think this jig is pretty good, but I had lateral alignment issues with the first one they sent. When I used the center line on the jig to cover the line on the work the holes would come out misaligned by about 1/16". To Rockler's credit, when I complained, they shipped another jig right out - but, I have the same problem with it. I have since learned to bias the jig to the left side of the line and things come out perfect.

Yikes! Wish I read Kelly's review. Worked well, but I dropped mine, too... second day of use. The plastic guide snapped right off at the bottom of the jig. There's not even a stub to use on the guide, any more. I tried to clamp it down to the workpiece, but the drill just kept rattling it out of alignment

I saw this referred to by another customer. When you use this as intended, lining up the guidelines under each hole, they do not match up. The difference is probably about 1/8-1/16th of an inch but this can be huge when you using it for a joint.

The "good" in this product is that it is straight forward and easy to use. The "bad" is that the sizing is all wrong... The 3/8 dowel jig is designed to center on 3/4" stock and the 1/4 inch jig is designed to center on 1/2" stock. 3/8" dowels are just too big for 3/4" stock and likewise the 1/4" dowels are too big for 1/2" stock. I have shimmed my 1/4 jig so it centers on 3/4" stock and the 3/8 centers on 7/8 stock. The mod to the 3/8 jig is a stretch, but it is better than centering it for 3/4" stock. I suggest that making a version of this jig for 5/16 dowel that centers on 13/16 stock or offer the 1/4 model to center on 3/4" stock. Either of these would be an improvement on the current offerings.

Very disappointed. This jig moves around too easily. Also, the holes are too close together for 2" to 2 1/4" stiles. What attracted me to it was that it didn't require moving the jig for the second hole. But it isn't a good solution if you do more than an occasional doweled joint. I don't have room for a horizontal boring machine, so I'm designing a jig with drill blocks that will allow several spacings and handle 3/4 or 1 1/2" material. It will be screwed in place to not move around. It will utilize Rockler hold-downs for the stock.

The jig is effective .... If it were designed better: The plastic guide broke after 1 drop. An aluminum guide would have been better. a matte or sand blasted for a better non-slip clamping surface would be appreciated. The centering mark could be viewed through a cut out in the aluminum.

I used the jig once, accidentally dropped it due to the heavy weight on one end and broke the plastic guide. It became essentially useless. I ended up having to use a piece of wood to replace the guide. Not ideal. Be very careful with this jig.

Could use it for a dog house but not for furniture. I thought this might work as sometimes there is not space for a full jig. 1- the plastic part of this jig flexes and the the resulting hole will will measure big and sloppy. 2- the 3/8 dowels just too large for 3/4 stock, it leaves only 3/16 left per side. 3- difficult to clamp as the plastic is beyond slippery. Outcome-clamped it hard enough to crack the plastic then through it in the trash. Save your money.

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Our price is lower than the manufacturer's "minimum advertised price." As a result, we cannot show you the price in catalog or the product page.

You have no obligation to purchase the product once you know the price. You can simply remove the item from your cart.

What People are Saying:

I have been using Rockler for years, your products are always the best that can be purchased and your prices are very reasonable. Ann you have always done your best to make me feel as though I was your very best customer. Thank you for great service."

- Daniel F.

What People are Saying:

I have been using Rockler for years, your products are always the best that can be purchased and your prices are very reasonable. Ann you have always done your best to make me feel as though I was your very best customer. Thank you for great service."